The choice to have Liz turn out to be some kind of daytime-soap-class master manipulator, without grounding her extreme actions in some actual character work is by far the biggest – arguably the only – misstep _Stumptown_ has made so far. It's a choice that reduces her to a stereotype, and, again, without grounding her motivations in anything deeper than the most basic jealousy, Liz ultimately comes across as the kind of retrograde stereotype I thought this show was better than. Also, the expertly acted and (on a scene-by-scene level) beautifully depicted emotional travails of the regular cast are lessened by the presence of a character that feels like she, ultimately, belongs on a different show.